March 3, 2024
Lectionary Texts
Exodus 20. 1-17. The Ten Commandments.
Psalm 19. The heavens are telling the glory of God. The law of God is perfect. Clear me from hidden faults. Let my words and thoughts be acceptable to you.
1 Corinthians 1. 18-25 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but we proclaim Christ crucified.
John 2 .13-22 Jesus “cleanses” the temple.
Preaching Thoughts
Today’s’ scriptures invite us to trust and be faithful to God’s Covenant not in order to be saved, but because we already are.
Exodus
See Ten Commandments: Variations and Meditations for further reflections and some paraphrases.
The Ten Commandments do not belong in courthouses. (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me?” Are you kidding? The way we idolize money, violence, military power, popularity, nationalism and white supremacy? Our courts would be a mess! And, golly, this country’s economy is built on coveting.) The “commandments” are not rules God imposes on the world. They’re a religious practice. They’re spiritual disciplines. They’re the vows Israel takes to be faithful to God’s covenant—Israel’s marriage vows to God. They’re our reciprocation of God’s love, rising out of our love of God—not out of moral obligation. And they’re ours—as personal as wedding vows. They’re not for others. They’re a picture of what it looks like to love God and love your neighbor.
God’s laws are not hoops to jump through, as if God is testing our loyalty by making us do certain tricks. They’re how we affirm and support life. “Because God says so” is not a valid rationale for religious laws. There’s a reason God says so: pay attention to the reason—the spirit of the law, not just the letter. Though most of them are stated in the negative—“Thou shalt not…”— they’re ways of living positively, ways of honoring and serving life. Think of them as positives: Trust God, receive grace, be faithful, be gentle, share generously…
The Sabbath commandment is the only one with a rationale attached, both here and in the other version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5.6-21. And since it’s Jewish, if there are two versions of the Ten Commandments, there will be two different rationales for the Sabbath commandment. In Exodus it’s because God rested on the seventh day. It suggests that beyond our doing there is holiness in our being. In Deuteronomy it’s that you were slaves in Egypt but God set you free: you are not going back to that! Your worth is not measured by your productivity but simply because you are God’s. Again, our value is in our being rather than our doing. (This understanding places a healthy corrective on God’s laws: even when we don’t obey them God still loves us, because our value is in our being, not our doing!)
Psalm
If our eyes are open we see the Word of God in all Creation. The “law of God” is not a requirement, but simply what is True. God’s law is not an order like a civil “law” but the way it is, like the law of gravity, or the laws of nature. God’s law is love. It’s the way God works, and the way we live in harmony with God’s will.
And of course, like singers who don’t know they’re out of tune, we’re out of tune with God most of the time. So we listen, and we pray for wisdom to discern our “hidden faults” so as to be faithful to God’s way.
1 Corinthians
“God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.” God is not a “thing,” even a “person,” we can actually talk about; words are useless. God’s grace is not an idea we can agree with or disagree with. It’s not a rational entity at all. The great paradox is that, as The Cloud of Unknowing says, God can be loved but not thought. Or as Martin Buber says, “God can properly only be addressed, but not expressed.” The reality of God is beyond rational understanding, and God’s grace does not fit in any intellectual or emotional frames. So the cross—the story of Jesus’ self-sacrificing love—doesn’t make “sense” as Greek philosophers sought, or seem like a sign of God’s power as Paul’s fellow Jews expected. But it gives us life. We’re still stuck on wanting it to either make sense or display power. But God’s wisdom and power don’t fit our categories or expectations. You can’t comprehend God’s truth through rational thought any more than you can smell a symphony. Love operates in a different field of energy. And love seldom appears powerful. It often looks like loss, weakness or surrender. But there is life in it. Primarily the way we come to see that is not through signs or explanations but through experience. People will not come to love God through having things explained to them, or seeing some wondrous sign; they’ll come to love by being loved.
John
Jesus’ argument with temple commerce is not that people are overcharging or that money is filthy. He’s shutting down the possibility of sacrifices. It’s as if he’s saying “Don’t give God coins or animals, give God yourself.” Give to God what is God’s. (And stop making others—even animals—pay for you.) Jesus is actually deeply faithful to the temple—he goes there to pray and to teach. But he’s against a religious system that emphasizes pious acts over actual love. His action in the temple echoes what he says when he quotes Hosea 6.6 (twice! Mt 9.13 and12.7): God says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” He echoes the frequent critiques of the prophets against religious sacrifices as a substitute for justice. (“I hate your feasts and festivals…”) Part of his thinking may also be that the temple taxes and offerings put an inordinate burden on the poor. By prohibiting sacrifices (that some could not afford) Jesus puts everyone on equal footing before God.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of presenting Jesus’ action as against Judaism. I sometimes hear Jewish faith portrayed as offering sacrifices to appease or please God, as if to earn God’s favor, in contrast with Christianity that has faith in God’s grace. Sacrifices weren’t meant to curry God’s favor. They were spiritual practices of commitment and gratitude, ways not so much to show God how faithful you were but to remind yourself to be faithful, to actually practice the generosity God empowers you to do. Jesus’ actions aren’t drawing a line between Jewish and Christian worship, but between mere religious devotion and actively loving. He’s forcing us to give our sacrifices to other people instead of—or rather as a way of—giving them to God. Remember how he complained (Mark 7.9-13) about people giving their offerings to God instead of to their elders?
In what ways is Jesus symbolically “cleansing” the structures of your religious beliefs and practice? How might he be challenging “good deeds” you do that shield you from actually loving? (“I gave at church… so I don’t have to actually go to the homeless shelter…”) In what ways does Jesus challenge your sense of spiritual entitlement—that you’ve made the right sacrifice, so God “ought” to help you—rather than receiving grace as pure gift?
Call to Worship
1.
Leader: We stand in the temple of the universe, the holy place where God dwells.
All: We worship in awe and gratitude.
We gather in the temple of the Body of Christ, where God is lovingly present for us.
We worship in love and peace.
Our own bodies are temples of God, where the Spirit works miracles.
We worship in humility, with open hearts.
Grant us forgiveness and life, and receive our gifts.
2.
Leader: Galaxies, spinning, cry: Glory!
All: God’s Word enters us and cries, Life!
Loving God, receive us; receive our prayers; receive our praise.
Gracious God, guide us now, that we may embrace you and your love.
3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you.
All: Source of life, we return to you.
Christ, light of God’s forgiveness, we thank you.
Brother and healer, we open our hearts to you.
Holy Spirit, new life of God, you rise in us.
You make us holy, and make our lives a sacred offering,
We give them to you, in the name of your love. Amen.
Collect / Prayer of the Day
1.
Holy One, we come into your presence to offer that most precious of gifts to you: our open, listening hearts. We lay aside our pride and certainty, and come humbly seeking your grace. Speak to us and let your Word transform us into your offering for the sake of your will for the blessing of all people, for healing and justice, for the completion of Creation. Amen.
2.
Cleanse the temple of our hearts, O God, of all that would distance us from you. Bring us close and hold us near in your loving grace. Speak your Word to us, that we may be made whole. Amen.
3.
Gracious and faithful God, all Creation sings with your love. You speak your Word in all things, your Law in each moment. Help us to hear now, so that we may see your way more clearly and love you more deeply, and serve you more fully, in the name of Christ. Amen.
4.
Gracious God, you have established your Covenant with us, promising to be our God and calling us to be your people. Calm our anxious hearts and order our scattered lives by writing your Word on our hearts. Instill your ways in us, and restore in us the grace of your Covenant, so that we might worthily worship you by serving you, now and always, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Listening Prayer
(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)
Gentle God
whose only law is love,
cleanse the temple of my heart
of all I think I must do
for you to love me,
and of all that keeps me
from loving freely.
May the thoughts of my mind
and the prayers of my heart
feast on your delight. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
1.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, we confess our need for your grace.
In the temple of our hearts,
receive our gifts,
forgive our sin, and set us free.
We offer up to you all in us that you would transform by your grace.
Silent prayer … the word of grace
2.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we bring our whole lives into the light of God’s grace.
For those times we have been most in harmony with you, O God, we give thanks.
…Silent reflection…
God of grace, we thank you,
for your mercy is great.
For those times we have been most out of harmony with you, O God,
we ask your forgiveness and healing.
…Silent reflection…
God of grace, we thank you,
for your mercy is great.
Siblings in Christ, in the love of God and the grace of our Beloved Jesus Christ
your sins are entirely forgiven, and you are set free
to live by the power of God’s Spirit alone, now, to eternal life.
Thanks be to God.
… Passing the peace
3.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Loving God, we are nothing without you.
We confess our need for your saving, life-giving grace.
We turn from our self-saving, and rely upon you wholly.
In the grace which we know in Christ,
receive us, forgive us, and renew us. Amen.
4.
Holy and loving God,
you have created us to live in harmony with you and with all Creation;
but I have not always lived in harmony.
Some of my sin I can see; but some only you know.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask you to forgive my disharmony,
and deliver me from the forces that distort my life
Heal the fear that leads me away from you.
and change my heart,
so that I may truly live in harmony with you and all Creation,
in the love of Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Readings
1.
Click here for Psalm 19, a paraphrase.
2.
1 Corinthians 1.18-25. A parpahrase
The message about the cross is foolishness to those who don’t mind throwing their lives away, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning
I will thwart.”
Show me one who is wise. Show me a scholar. Show me a debater of this age. When it comes to understanding God, all their worldly wisdom is completely foolish. Reason doesn’t work to come to know God. So God uses this news about the cross, and even though it sounds foolish, it saves those who trust it.
Jews demand to see signs from God, and Greeks want to figure everything out. But we are proclaiming Christ crucified, which sounds awful to the Jews and makes no sense to the Greeks. But to those whom God calls, both Jews and gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Response / Creed / Affirmation
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.
The devout want lofty feelings and the cynical want proof,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a challenge to head and heart alike;
but in this mystery we find the power of God and the wisdom of God.
God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom,
and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
God’s love is greater than any law.
It is that love we cherish, honor, and obey. Alleluia.
Eucharistic Prayer
[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]
————— #1 —————
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
God we give you thanks, for you create us out of your love.
We who are the image of your love return to you with love.
You make covenant to be our God, and you set us free from all that oppresses us.
You have set us free from all demands, free to be your beloved community.
You walk with us toward new life, giving us Jesus to show us the way.
We turn to you in gratitude, to offer our gifts and sing your praise,
joining with one voice with all Creation:
[Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest.
[or alternate version]
Blessed are all who come in your love, and blessed is Jesus, your Anointed One.
He taught and healed, he lifted up the poor and received their gifts,
he confronted the injustice of the demands of the powerful,
and established a new Realm in which love is the only currency.
He cherished your love in the temple of his body,
and for his rebellion against the Empire they destroyed his body.
He was crucified; but you raised him from the dead.
He is your living law, and he is our life.
[The Blessing and Covenant…]
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
—or—
Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ will come again in glory.
[or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be the Body of Christ for the world.
For you desire mercy, not sacrifice:
you call us to love, freed from the fear of inadequacy,
filled with your Spirit, our bodies temples of your grace.
All glory and honor is yours, loving God, now and forever.
[Spoken or sung]
Amen.
————— #2 —————
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
We thank you, God: for you created us in your image
and made Covenant to be our God—grace for which we cannot repay!
You have brought us out of slavery and gave us a place of belonging—
blessing without price!
You have walked with us in Christ, who shares our suffering
and gives himself to us in love—a gift we cannot match!
Therefore we come to his table singing your praise with all Creation:
[Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest.
[or alternate version]
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught; he gathered the outcast; he confronted injustice.
He occupied our violence, to awaken us and lead us to a new Way.
He showed us how to love you in each other,
and embodied your commandments as one:
to love one another as you have loved us.
(The Blessing and Covenant)
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
—or—
Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ will come again in glory.
[or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
transformed by your grace and forgiveness.
May our love be our sacrifice.
May our offering be our service for healing and justice,
that we may bring your love to all Creation in the name of Christ.
[Spoken or sung]
Amen.
————— #3 —————
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
In the beginning, you created us in love.
You made Covenant with us to be in love always;
and when we have broken that Covenant
you have come to us in love.
You have judged the forces of oppression, set us free,
and given us a place of belonging in your house.
You have spoken to us your Word, showed us your Way,
and given us love we could not earn.
Therefore with all your Beloved people,
with all of Creation, and the communion of the saints,
we sing your praise with one voice.
[Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest.
[or alternate version]
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught; he gathered the outcast; he confronted injustice.
As threats mounted and his death drew near
he chose, instead of making a sacrifice, to be a sacrifice.
He has given us faith that lives in acts of compassion,
that fulfills your commandments in love of each other,
love that he has given us.
(The Blessing and Covenant)As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as our living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
—or—
Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ will come again in glory.
[or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
asking no one to sacrifice for us,
but giving of ourselves in love/
for the sake of the healing of the world,
in the name and Spirit of Christ.
[Spoken or sung]
Amen.
____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]
On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion
[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have not given us worldly riches or power; you have given us your priceless love and your mighty grace. Send us into the world as your humble, confident servants, for the sake of the good news of your Realm of grace, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Send us into the world to obey and to embody your commandment to love, in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.
Suggested Songs
(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)
Eucharistic Responses : Eleven sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to familiar hymn tunes appropriate for Lent. Two of them also include “table songs” of invitation/preparation for communion.
Table Song: Feed Us Your Grace (Tune: Finlandia)
(Among Table Songs, one- and two-verse songs of invitation and preparation for communion set to familiar hymn tunes.)
You call us, Christ, to take our cross and follow,
but first you bring us here to feast with you.
Our gifts we bring, to celebrate your loving.
Our lives we give, to die and rise anew.
Feed us your grace, your spirit of compassion;
make us your body now, your will to do.